How to Compress Vocals Like a Pro (Recommended Settings) 

Addition Vocal Compression Tips: -More aggressive vocals, like rap, metal, and punk vocals often require really fast attack and release settings. If you're using the SSL G-Master Buss Compressor, consider using an attack time between 0.1-1 ms, and a release time between 0.1-0.3 seconds. Recording with a dynamic mic can mellow out these aggressive types of performances and actually make applying compression easier. -Smoother and more melodic vocals, like the vocals from this video, sometimes sound better with a slightly longer release time. The release time I used in this video (0.6 seconds) is generally considered somewhat long for vocal compression but it suited these vocals well. I didn't like how a shorter release time sounded. Trust your ears and your judgment! -You can apply a limiter to individual vocal tracks, or your vocal buss, to completely prevent peaks from reaching above a certain level. You’d normally use a limiter like a safety net after your compressor. If you're looking for a really "tight" sound, try experimenting with this. I recommend using a limiter like Plugin Alliance's bx_limiter (www.plugin-alliance.com/en/products/bx_limiter.html ) to do this because it lets you reduce the limiter's threshold without applying automatic makeup gain; this makes it easy to hear the effect it's having on your vocals. In most situations, 1-2 dB of limiting during loud passages (applied after your compressor) should be enough to really tighten up your vocals. -The settings in the video are explained in a simplified way to make learning how to use a compressor easier, which comes at the expense of certain technical accuracies. Having said that, the way I've explained compression is how you would learn to use compression if you attended school for music production or audio engineering. If you care to learn more about what's truly going on under the hood of a compressor, I recommend checking out this article: www.attackmagazine.com/features/columns/gregory-scott-demolishing-the-myths-of-compression/

Genius! Love how you explained how to fine-tune the threshold level with the quieter parts.

Thank you for explaining this so clearly. Compression has had me stumped for YEARS! Now, I finally get the picture. Gonna go now and apply what I've just learned. Thanks again.

My favorite way to compress vocals is to split the loud & quiet parts, manually adjust the louder parts down & the quieter parts up. That balances it nicely. Then add the compressor & do a lower ratio. This technique allows you to have a nice, even vocal without making the compressor do too much work.

I was literally struggling with this. Thanks for the help!

Great tutorials! Keep it up 🔥

So awesome, thanks for sharing

Very useful, thanks

Great Explanation .

very useful! thanks!!

I feel sad that I didn’t came across your channel earlier. Glad I did now ♥️

Went through your channel to save all the videos I wanted to watch, ended up adding all of them to my “Watch Later”... 😂😂😂

This was really helpful

is there a full version of this song? i like it

Love these videos. They help a lot

muy muy muy buenooo..!! y muy bien explicado..! saludos desde Argentina

this really helped mahnnn.tnx

You are the most successful teacher in teaching compression and other stuffs. I wished u upload more video in the future

Bravo!

Dude! Awesome video. Would you mind sharing your compression settings for simple vocal for talking head type of videos? I need a baseline. Thanks so much!

Engineers like Greg Wells recommend slow attack and fast release when using an 1176 while recording vocals. Is there some fundamental difference between using a compressor in recording as opposed to mixing? Or is that a product of FET compressors simply having much faster attack?

Aloha! My name is Sean and I work with Aixdsp. What's the best way the get our software to you for review?

I don't know if the singer had reverb in her cans or not, but she is singing really flat. Otherwise very informative and helpful. We all sing off now a d then, but some are tone deaf and still successful. Look at Whitney Houston on "I Will Always Love You".

The vocalist's intonation is... questionable 😢

too long to get to the point mate

Sorry, but you are not making any difference! After 11 years of watching videos about this topic, still 0 understanding...